The present invention provides a mechanical means for retaining windows in their frames. Conventional means for retaining glass in their frames employ glazing beads which are attached to window frames by a plurality of mechanical fasteners such as screws or pop-rivets. Glazing beads of this type suffer from two distinct disadvantages. First, they are not aesthetically pleasing since the mechanical fasteners used to attach them are exposed to view. Second, to replace a window all of the mechanical fasteners for that particular glazing bead must be removed by using the appropriate tools. In response to this problem a simple snap-in glazing bead was developed which did not require visible mechanical fasteners. In addition, the new system no longer requires the removal of mechanical fasteners but instead one need only snap the glazing bead out, replace the glass, and snap the glazing bead back in.
Some systems for retaining glass in frames that do not require visible screws or rivets exist in the prior art. U.S.S.R. Patent No. 490,931; British Patent No. 1,455,135; German Patent No. 2,557,708; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,276 are examples of such systems. None of these examples includes the superior combination of simplicity in design and utilitarian function embodied in the present invention.